bradley smith
tenor
biography
After graduating in Music from St John’s College Cambridge Bradley Smith went on to train at the Royal Academy of Music. He was a finalist in the 2015 Pietro Cesti singing competition for baroque opera and is now studying with Gary Coward.
Opera engagements include Damon Acis & Galatea for English National Opera Studio; the title role Albert Herring at the Buxton Festival; Leilio in Cesti Le nozze in sogno at the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music and in Salzburg; Arsete in Cesti La Dori in Innsbruck; creating the role of Carl Denham in The True Story of King Kong by Jeffrey Ching for Theater Magdeburg; The Prince in Isouard Cendrillon for Bampton Classical Opera; Trojan Man Idomeneo for Garsington Opera, Tamino Die Zauberflöte for Longborough Opera’s Young Artists’ Tour, Peter Quint The Turn of the Screw with Opera Holland Park’s Young Artists, Buff The Impresario at the Edinburgh Festival and Nathaniel Walterson in the premiere of Pincher Martin by Oliver Rudland at the Britten Theatre, London. With Royal Academy Opera he sang Tom Rakewell The Rake’s Progress, Male Chorus The Rape of Lucretia, le Prince Charmant Massenet Cendrillon and le petit vieillard (Arithmétique) L’enfant et les sortilèges with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
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Bradley’s concert engagements include Bach Christmas Oratorio with the Odense Symphony Orchestra / Stephen Layton; Odoardo Ariodante for a European tour with The English Concert / Harry Bicket; the St John Passion, St Matthew Passion, Messiah and Mozart Requiem with The Hanover Band / Andrew Arthur; St John and St Matthew Passions with Ex Cathedra / Jeffrey Skidmore plus performances of the Monteverdi Vespers, Handel Semele, Haydn Nelson Mass, Spohr The Last Judgement and Britten Serenade for Tenor, horn and strings.
Bradley recently sang Luke Stiles Awakening Shadow at the Cheltenham and Presteigne Festivals and his plans include further projects with the Hanover Band, Ex Cathedra and the City of Birmingham Choir.
September 2021
Bradley Smith is represented for General Management. For all enquiries please contact Caroline Phillips cphillips@caroline-phillips.co.uk
reviews
Cesti’s La Dori, Innsbruck Festival of Early Music, Summer 2019
The tenor Bradley Smith in the role of the serious character Arsete exhibited beautiful fullness of timbre and voice for the predominantly central texture of the score, for which the English tenor confirmed both the timbre and technical quality of the voice, and the qualities of elegance expressive, drawing a character lyrically adherent to writing.
Sipario, 15 September 2019
Arsete, ancient tutor of Dori, is also a serious person; the tessitura is mainly central and requires a beautiful fullness. In 1657 it was probably sung by Cesti, today he has the voice of Bradley Smith. The English tenor confirmed both the timbre and technical quality of the voice, and the qualities of elegance that we remembered from the final of the 2015 Cesti Competition and from his participation as Lelio in Le nozze in sogno the following year.
Opera Click, 29 August 2019
Endowed with more lyrical means, the British tenor Bradley Smith befits Arsete, undoubtedly the most traditional character in the opera.
Olyrix, 25 August 2019
The rhythm changes are plentiful in the many short tunes of this opera. Evidenced by “Non scherzi con amor” of the tutor Arsete, superbly defended by the tenor Bradley Smith, whose valiant and very well projected timbre gives effective assurance to a role otherwise quite conventional.
Classique News, 24 August 2019
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Bampton Classical Opera – Isouard Cendrillon
The Prince’s duets with Cinders (the charming Kate Howden) verged on sensational …
Opera Now, September 2019
Bradley Smith displayed a pleasing lyric tenor and easy public school charm as the Prince
Planet Hugill, 19 September 2018
Bradley Smith was possessed of an aesthetically pleasing tenor as Prince Ramir,
MusicOMH, 18 September 2018
Bradley Smith’s charming, tender Prince, who struck just the right note of humility and courage with his flowing, expansive tenor. Smith’s compulsive, magnetic attraction to his Cinderella was a delight, scarcely able to tear his eyes from hers, their mutual infatuation palpable.
Bachtrack, 23 July 2018
Bradley Smith’s Prince is quietly expressive as befits the fact that during the all-important ball scene, he keeps his real status hidden as he searches for true love.
Classical Source, 20 July 2018
ENO Studio – Acis and Galatea
The young soloists are excellent, particularly the men: as the headstrong Acis and his more thoughtful sidekick Damon, tenors Alexander Sprague and Bradley Smith are in ringingly good voice
The Standard, 12 June 2018
… with Bradley Smith – softly grainy and characterful as a wooden flute – a fine musical foil as sweet-but-dim Damon.
Arts Desk, 12 June 2018
Buxton Festival – Albert Herring
Bradley Smith’s pleasing, flexible tenor bloomed in line with Albert’s gradual loss of innocence … it was an auspicious role debut.
Opera, September 2017
At its heart is Bradley Smith — warmly believable as the timid Albert … he gilds a character comedy with some really excellent singing, giving Britten’s satire the weight of something real and human. When he returns from his adventures, mud-stained and blissfully hungover, to face the wrath of the village it’s a revolution more powerful than any military coup.
The Spectator, 15 July 2017
As Albert … Bradley Smith’s interpretation is a masterly vocal and acted portrayal. … one could only be admiring of Smith’s playing of the role
Seen and Heard International, 11 July 2017
… it was an impressive feature of Bradley Smith’s performance that the earnest young lad of the earlier scenes was still plausibly the same character. Smith’s clear, conversational tenor projected an integrity that made his confusion touching and his final transformation wholly life affirming.
The Arts Desk, 10 July, 2017
Bradley Smith was a quiet, put-upon Albert…the Act Two solo was engagingly touching, as the mouse starts to think about roaring, and his Act Three return was a comic delight. Smith has quite a slim-line, lyric tenor which he used in an elegant fashion.
Planet Hugill, 9 July 2017
nicely delivered by Bradley Smith
The Stage, 10 July 2017
An excellent cast including Bradley Smith as a likeable Herring.
The Times, 10 July 2017
Bradley Smith sheer perfection as Albert Herring himself.
Mark Ronan, 9 July 2017
The English Concert – Ariodante
… Odoardo, the King’s confidant, well sung by Bradley Smith
Opera Magazine, July 2017
Plaudits are also due to … upcoming British tenor Bradley Smith as an unctuous and ubiquitous courtier.
Telegraph, 26 May 2017
Innsbruck Festival – Cesti Le nozze in Sogno
Lelio was the young Bradley Smith whose clear tenor voice and harmonious and affecting singing were just right.
Operalibera.net, 20 August 2016
Bach St Matthew Passion – Ex Cathedra & the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Among the other outstanding solo contributions mention must be made of soprano Katie Trethewey and tenor Bradley Smith, their emotional engagement with the text and music so vividly communicated.
Birmingham Post 29 March 2016
The Rakes Progress – Royal Academy Opera at Jack Lyons Theatre
Bradley Smith in the title role grew into his part wonderfully as his character declined.
The Observer, 22 March 2015
Bradley Smith presented a weak, human, yet impossible-not-to-like Tom: just as he should be. His sappy tenor proved appealing throughout, but moving too, especially towards the end: all very much in character.
Boulezian, 20 March 2015
The Rape of Lucretia – Royal Academy Opera at Jack Lyons Theatre
Bradley Smith, whose defined tenor remained acutely focused, even as his constrained character battled with emotion…
Opera, 1 July 2014
Bradley Smith was an excellent Male Chorus: with understated, natural acting, he navigated the emotional hurdles of his strange position on stage with aplomb, his clear voice making the most of Ronald Duncan’s wonderful libretto (“The night is weeping with its tears of stars”). He is to be congratulated.
Bachtrack, 14 May 2014
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